Tracking H1N1 in Near Real Time
Check out this super interesting report from Fast Company comparing the GE Centricity EMR system (which reports based on Dr’s diagnoses) to Google Flu Trends online H1N1 infection tracking system,which basis it’s report on searches for flu related topics. See snippet below, and more at the link.
“In July, the World Health Organization threw its hands up, declared H1N1 the fastest spreading pandemic ever, and said tracking individual cases was hopeless. But that hasnt stopped Google and, now, GE Healthcare from trying.Both companies claim to have “near real-time” data on flu activity, but their numbers are gathered from very different sources: Google Flu Trends tracks H1N1 infections by counting the number of online searches for flu-related topics, such as “fever” and “sore throat.” GE Health cares figures come from the more than 16,000 outpatient care centers using its electronic medical records system. So which one is better?”
via Tracking H1N1 in Near Real Time | Science Inc. | Fast Company.
